"Desperate for a superstar to complement Vladimir Guerrero Jr." - MLB insider sees Blue Jays as a 'Scott Boras surprise' in Juan Soto sweepstakes
Juan Soto has expressed his willingness to be a part of any of the 30 teams in MLB. However, only a few teams have the resources to finance a deal for the Dominican superstar.
MLB insider and ESPN analyst Eduardo Perez believes Soto having Scott Boras as the manager would create surprising suitors for the 2019 World Series champion.
Speaking to MLB journalist Rob Redford on Saturday, Perez named a 'secret' MLB team that could potentially get Juan Soto's signature. [5:51]
"I think that's the secret team. I think that's the team that we're going to hold on to, and I think that's a team that is representative. Scott Boris will; he's going to surprise, you know? He's going to surprise us: Toronto," said Perez
In addition to the surprise factor of Boras, Perez shared an interesting reason why the Toronto Blue Jays would pursue Soto. After all, the Blue Jays were reportedly willing to offer Shohei Ohtani a massive deal during the Japanese superstar's free agency.
"Toronto, to me, is a team that is desperate for a superstar," Perez said [6:06]. They want a superstar to complement Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and they’ve talked about extending with Vladdy. But if you can get a Juan Soto there with the last year of a contract of Vladdy- wow," Perez added.
Ex-Marlins president doesn't think Juan Soto could break Shohei Ohtani's record
Shohei Ohtani holds the record for the largest sports contract in history. Ohtani's $700 million/10-year deal is much above several superstars like Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, etc. Mike Trout has the next biggest contract below Ohtani in MLB, with a $426.5 million/12-year deal.
Many believe that Juan Soto has the potential to break Ohtani's record, but David Samson, the former Marlins president doesn't think so. According to Samson, Soto's agent Scott Boras would be looking to bag a $446 million deal for his client.
The reason behind Samson believing Boras will target $446 million is the peculiar nature of Ohtani's contract. $680 million of Ohtani's annual salary is deferred for the entirety of his contract, making the Japanese superstar's contract valuation around $450-460 million in the present day.
Oddsmakers favor the Yankees to re-sign Soto, followed by their cross-town rivals, the New York Mets. The Blue Jays, San Francisco Giants and the Chicago Cubs are the other top contenders vying for Soto's signature.